Tag Archives: Dana Hanson

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Grandpa Diary #78

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Dear Kaylee,

How excited we all are that you are going to be a big sister. God gives grandpas unlimited love and so I won’t run out of love when I love two of you. The best thing is, God gives you unlimited love too, and so you are going to have a wonderful life ahead bringing and receiving joy with someone so close. Your mommy and daddy and the rest of us already know this, and your sister will, too!

Kaylee, when you bless Grandpa, you put your hands on my head. When I ask you to bless your sister, you put you hands on mommy’s tummy!

Keep blessing away!

Love,
Grandpa

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Grandpa Dairy #76

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Dear Kaylee,

We have been having wonderful times together. Your Great Grandpa and Great Grandpa Lindgren came out and shared Easter with us. We went to the Science museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. You were a trooper that day. You got to eat ice cream with your Mommy and that is a rare treat for you.

Easter Sunday you came up to hear the children’s message and you made Grandpa laugh. Here is what happened-

Oh, well, I keep getting plenty of hugs from you anyway!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #75

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Dear Kaylee,

What the heck are you saying? Your mommy sent me a video of you saying, “Appo du du.” She said you kept on saying it. Sure enough, when you came over this morning, you looked at me smiled and said, “Appo du du.”

We haven’t figured out what you are trying to say, but you seem to enjoy it.

Maybe you are just saying, “My, but isn’t my Grandpa handsome.”

Appo du du to you,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #74

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Dear Kaylee,
You are really getting interested in other children. At the beach, you start following them around. Nana and Uncle David said you were giving away your food to other kids at the mall playground. If you visit me at Preschool chapel, you love to stand and stare at all the kids.

Your best buddy to hang out with is baby Tori. she’s one of your mommy’s teacher friend’s daughter. Our friend, Robyn, watches Tori, so you get to do stuff together. You love to hug her, but because she is littler than you, sometimes it looks like you are !

Love,
Grandpa

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Grandpa Diary #70

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Dear Kaylee,

We had fun the other night when your mommy and daddy celebrated their third anniversary. They went to a restaurant called “Salt Creek Grille,” where they had delicious steak. You and I spent the night running around your house and reading your books. The highlight for me was when it was time for you to go to bed. Grandpa has never put you to bed at night before and so I haven’t watched you brush your teeth. You did a great job!

Grandpa brushes his teeth a lot and enjoys having that clean mouth feeling. Our teeth are very important to us. We both love to eat!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #49

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Dear Kaylee,

What an exciting day this is turning out to be! It is St. Patrick’s Day, which is a special day when we remember a pastor like Grandpa who did many brave things so he could teach people about how much God loves them. His name was Patrick. Some of the people he taught, taught other people and they told more people about Jesus, and one of them, Boniface, showed the German people God’s love, and because you are part German, you can trace your Christian family tree back to St. Patrick!

This is a lot of people for over 1000 years who love you enough to keep bringing the joy of God. Now you have it, too!

It is also an exciting day because you were at our house with your mommy and we had a big earthquake! We haven’t had one of those in a loooong time. I was holding you when the earth went,

“BOOM! Rattle, rattle…”

You just looked at me and started laughing because Grandpa shakes you once in awhile, like we are on a boat, so I guess you thought we were sailing…

We stood under a center doorway and your mommy and Nana were laughing, too, because you were laughing. Right away, your mommy wanted to make sure she was hugging you lots.

Kaylee, we have earthquakes where you live. In fact the second strongest earthquake ever recorded (measured by total energy released in smallest area) was back when your mommy was a little girl. It was called the “Northridge Quake” and the epicenter was about two miles from our house.

Yes, we were in the same house! You and your mommy had your first earthquakes in the same house. Now, this morning it was scary and rumbly but nothing fell over around us. The Northridge earthquake was shaking everything and it was like a train was coming through our house, with loud noise and everything! Fortunately your mommy was laying next to me because she had waken up a bit earlier and wanted to snuggle. So when the shaking started, I put her under my arm and ran to the dining room and put her under the table, so I could run back and get one of her brothers. Nana had her other brother. I remember your mommy was saying,

“Shaky, Daddy, shaky! Shaky, Daddy, Shaky!”

We all stayed under that big table for awhile. We pretended we were camping…

So, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Kaylee, and Happy First Earthquake Day!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #48

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Dear Kaylee,

How exciting to have your mommy’s grandma out to visit! Since your mommy’s mommy is “Nana,” your great grandma is “Nana G.” Just like a rapper…

It is so much fun watching you interact with all these special women in your life. Your joy and their joy grows and this is so important for you, your family and, actually, for the world.

You see, Kaylee, you get to take on the same key role your mommy, Nana, and Nana G. have in their lives. “Joyful daughters.” I am reading a book (Joy Starts Here) about how joy is wired into our brains and how being a “joy starter” is what we do when we follow Jesus together. Jesus said his teaching on earth was so we could be filled with his joy and spread joy (John 15:11). Here is where you come in, Kaylee. I am quoting from the book:

“Joyful group identity grows where there is regard for the weak. One of the best tests for a joyful group identity is a high concentration of hopeful daughters. More gentle protector skills pass from one generation to the next through daughters than any other way. Joyful little girls who love the way that babies, women, mothers and wives are treated by both men and women in their culture will look forward to starting joyful families of their own. Hopeful daughters will grow a joyful generation and joyful group identity…Hopeful girls will raise hopeful families (p. 79).”

Well, Kaylee, Grandpa’s little joy starter, you sure are off and running!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #46

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Dear Kaylee,

It takes a big wardrobe to hang around with you lately. On Grandpa Day, Friday, you spit up about six times. Your eating now involves a variety of foods and so there is a variety of color available for your natural art…

You had to wear three different outfits. Nana had to change her clothes once and Grandpa twice. I thought we were doing a Katy Perry concert around here for awhile with all the costume changes!

I think part of the challenge is Grandpa likes to lift you up and put your tummy on the top of his head, then wiggle you around. That and bouncing you on my knee. And dancing with you. And rolling around on the floor.

OOOh, maybe it’s not so much a food issue…

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #45

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Dear Kaylee,

Well, the first year “firsts” just keep coming. This time, it has to do with food again. You are getting the chance to feed yourself. At least put some little puff crackers in your mouth. This is hilarious to watch because you put one in and then another and another, kind of like Grandpa shoveling in some BBQ chips. Nana and mommy watch you and are trying to figure out if you are using your left or right hand most. I think you are a two-fisted puffer. Keep using both hands and we’ll have a point guard on our hands…OK, that’s a bit early…

Another first is how animated you get now when we Facetime you on the weekend. You know it is me and Nana because you give us your “Hi, how are you doing?” grunts. Sounds like you are trying to mimic a machine gun. “Ach, Ach, Ach, Ach Ach!”

I don’t know orders of things and months when this or that is “suppose” to happen with you. What I do know is living in the present is the way we are wired anyway. Don’t worry about what happened in the past and don’t worry about what’s going to happen someday. Live the way you are designed. Live today. Sounds like a good plan for your whole life doesn’t it?

Love,
Grandpa